CSI Scrap 365 - Joy

Hello everyone! I forgot to post this layout I made for the third CSI and Scrap365 collaborative case file. If you have never seen the magazine Scrap365, I hope you will check it out, it is really fabulous. Here's the case file:

 

 

And my layout:

 

I decided to scrap this photo from my first Christmas, with my grandparents. From the evidence items I used: ribbons, birds, glitter, snowflake and brads. And from the testimony, I journaled about a Christmas/winter memory and tied a ribbon to my journaling spot (the tag behind the photo).

 

For the background, I used a favourite technique of mine, blocks of dry-embossed paper. The paper are Ranger's Specialty Stamping paper, but you can use other white cardstock too. I used various Tim Holtz Sizzix folders.   

 

The edges of the embossed papers were distressed and I also splattered Distress Ink on them, using Pumice Stone, Squeezed Lemonade and Worn Lipstick. The title was stamped with Pumice Stone and die cut with the coordinating die. The same Holiday Joy stamp and die set was used for the snowflake, holly leaves, pine trees and deer.

 



The coordinating dies make it very quick to cut out the trees and deer. The new magnetic platform also makes it so easy to use stamp/die combos. The photo was layered on a gelli printed paper and some cheese cloth.

 

I love these birds by Brenda Walton. It is a long Sizzlits die, so they are perfect as a border, but here I used only two. They were die cut from watercolour paper and watercoloured with Distress Inks (Scattered Straw, Pumice Stone and Worn Lipstick). I also added a border with die cuts, tinsel and linen ribbon.

 

More Pumice Stone stamping and splatters.

The gelli print that I used (made during this session) had a scalloped border from a Dylusions stencil, which I liked. The little angel come from the Christmas Thinlits set.

The journaling was written on a tag tucked behind the photos. It is about my first Christmas, Christmas memories of my grandparents and about different details I can spot on the photo.

Thank you for looking! I hope you will join us in this case file (deadline is 31 December).

Anna-Karin

Supplies:
Surfaces: Ranger Specialty Stamping Paper; Neenah Smooth Solar White cardstock; Daler & Rowney watercolour paper
Embossing folders: Sizzix: Iron Gate & Starry Night, Snow Flurries & Snowman, Snowflake Pattern & Plaid, Textured Poinsettia Pattern, Brush Poinsettia & Winter Berries, Holly Pattern & Wreath,
Dies: Sizzix: Bower Birds, Tag & Bookplates, Christmas, Holly, Beaded & Snowflake Garland
Stamps: Sizzix/Stampers Anonymous: Holiday Joy Framelits die set with Stamps
Ink: Distress Ink: Pumice Stone, Scattered Straw, Worn Lipstick
Embellishments: Tim Holtz Idea-ology: Tinsel Twine, Linen Ribbon; brads

Mixed-Media Tissue Canvas Tutorial

Hello everyone! This week we have a tissue challenge at Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge blog and today I am posting a step-by-step tutorial for a canvas using tissue paper in different ways, and some more techniques too.

I made this 8 x 10 canvas to a friend, who is also a teacher. By coincidence she is getting it today and I am looking forward to hearing what she thinks of it. The techniques in my tutorial can be used for lots of different projects, cards, art journaling, 3-D items, scrapbooking layouts and more.

As always, one random challenge participant wins a $50 gift voucher to Simon Says Stamp.

To see the full tutorial, head over to the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog.

Thank you for stopping by!

Anna-Karin

Tissue Paper

Hello! This week we have a tissue challenge at Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge blog. It happened to have been one of my challenge ideas, so I am going to share a step-by-step tutorial on Wednesday on the challenge blog.

Here's a little sneak peak. I made a mixed-media canvas and will show you some ideas about how to use both printed and plain tissue paper, and some other techniques too.

As always one random participant wins a $50 gift voucher from Simon Says Stamp.

Check out the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog on Wednesday for the tutorial. I hope you will like it!

Happy crafting!

Anna-Karin

January 2014 Craft Stamper Magazine

Hi everyone! I just wanted to write a quick post showing you the cover of the January 2014 issue of the Craft Stamper magazine.

I have an step-by-step article in the magazine with some fun vellum and inking techniques, to create a frosty feeling, but they work for many other themes too. I was very happy to spot one of my cards on the cover (middle one to left - same spot as one of my projects had for the December 2013 issue). And I am happy to have another two cards in the magazine too. If you have never seen the Craft Stamper, it is a really fabulous magazine, the best one out there when it comes to stamping and fun techniques. If you are in the US, you should be able to find it at Barnes and Noble, or you could subscribe so that you won't miss an issue.

Happy stamping!

Anna-Karin

CSI case file #101: Car-crazy Santa

Hello Saturday! And of course another CSI:Color, Stories, Inspiration case file. We are continuing with our December holiday theme.

 

 

 

My layout, Car-crazy Santa:

 

I took my Christmas photos of the little guy few days ago. I think it was easier when he was this small, this year's photos didn't turn out that well, lots of running around and lots of funny faces. The photos I scrapped here were not the photos sent out to friends and family that year, but just some photos I snapped in between when he was playing with a little car, at about the time he started to love these little cars. From the evidence I used: circles, something transparent, numbers and ribbon. From the testimony, the journaling is about a holiday memory. 

 

I played around with my gelli plate again the other day and made a whole stack of backgrounds. So much fun! For this one, blue and yellow paint were mixed right on the plate and I pressed various embossed papers into the paint to create the patterns. I like to emboss white paper and use that, instead of pressing the actual embossing folder into the paint. Check out my gel printing with dies and embossing folders tutorial for more on this. I didn't brayer out the paint evenly all over the plate since I really love the uneven edges and patches of less paint. I am not totally sure which colours I mixed for this particular print, but it was Hansa Yellow and Anthraquinone Blue, Ultramarine or Phthalo Blue (green shade).

 

To add some of the blue in the case file, I used a strip of leftover gelli print. You can see more of these on this layout. I die cut a tag for the journaling from a similar piece (tucked under the two smaller photos). For the background, I used a brick paper from Kaisercraft and added stamping here and there. The edges were distressed and I also added quite a few mini staples.  

Some of the images were stamped on a transparency (the circle and the man at the petrol pump), the rest were stamped right on the papers. I used chipboard letters and stickers for the title, and some word stickers.

Love that you can see some of the gelli pattern through this stamped Tim Holtz car. Tim Holtz grunge stamps work so great together with a fun gellli background.

The tire tracks were stamped on one of my favourite surfaces, Wendy Vecchi's Clearly For Art Modeling film. The film can be shaped after heating it with a heat gun (be careful) and then keeps its shape perfectly.

Thank you for looking!!

Have a great weekend!

Anna-Karin

Supplies:
Surfaces: Neenah Smooth Solar White cardstock; Kaisercraft Base Coat 12 x 12 pad; Wendy Vecchi Stampers Anonymous Clearly For Art Modeling Film; acetate
Embossing folders: Sizzix: Clocks & Printblocks, Bubble & Honeycomb, Curlique & Hearts, Dot-Matrix & Gridlock
Stamps: Stampers Anonymous Tim Holtz: Travel Ways, Road Trip, Psycedelic Grunge, Words for Thought
Ink: Ranger Archival Ink Jet Black; Tsukineko Stazon Jet Black
Paint: Golden Artist Colours Fluid Acrylics: Hansa Yellow, Ultramarine, Anthraquinone Blue
Embellishments: BasicGrey Letter Stickers; Heidi Swapp chipboard letters; Authentique word stickers
Tools: Sizzix Big Shot; Gelli Arts Gel Printing Plate 8 x 10

Evergreen Tree Pop-Up Card

Hello everyone! Karen Burniston's December Designer challenge is to use any pop-up die from her Sizzix collection.

 

I used the fun Evergreen Tree pop-up die, which is great for creating a little scene on your card. These cards are so fun to receive, the recipient will always get a fun surprise when opening it.

 

I put a few pools of Distress Stain (Antique Linen, Evergreen Bough, Brushed Pewter) on my craft sheet, misted a piece of manila cardstock with water and pressed into the ink. The tree was die cut from the coloured paper and stamped with a Christmas text background stamp and Archival Watering Can ink. The edges were inked with Gathered Twigs and I added some red pearl baubles.

 

For the background I used the back of one of the papers from Tim Holtz French Industrial pad, which has a nice grey tone and a soft diamond pattern. The grey stamping was done with Watering Can ink and for the red I used Vermillion. Finally, I stamped a music stamp repeatedly with Evergreen Bough ink.

 

For a border, I embossed a piece of kraft-core cardstock in the Swirls folder, sanded and inked it. I also used some Tim Holtz trim.

 

Love this Santa stamp from Tim Holtz, it was stamped with Jet Black ink on Specialty Stamping paper and coloured with Distress Inks and a craft nib.

 

On the front there is a bigger version of the same Santa stamp, but this time stamped with Watering Can on the background paper. The border is the same as on the inside of the card.  

I die cut Noel first from red kraft-core, using the Noel pop-up insert die. Then it was die cut a second time from a left-over piece of inked and stamped manila cardstock, using the coordinating Noel Sizzlits die. The insert die is slightly larger, forming a great mat.

Thank you so much for stopping by!

Happy Christmas Crafting!

Anna-Karin

Supplies:
Surfaces: Tim Holtz Idea-ology French Industrial Paper Stash; Ranger: Manila Cardstock, Specialty Stamping Paper; Tim Holtz Core'dinations Kraft-Core cardstock
Dies: Sizzix: Evergreen Tree 3-D Pop-Up, Noel 3-D Phrase Pop-Up, Noel Set
Embossing folder: Sizzix: Trellis & Swirls set
Stamps: Stampers Anonyous Tim Holtz: Mini Holidays 5, Old Fashioned Christmas, Seasonal Catalog 1, Mini Holidays 4, Mini Holidays
Ink: Ranger Archival Ink: Jet Black, Vermillion, Watering Can; Distress Ink: Gathered Twigs, Evergreen Bough, Antique Linen, Barn Door, Iced Spruce
Stain: Distress Stain: Antique Linen, Evergreen Bough, Brushed Pewter
Embellishments: Tim Holtz Idea-ology: Red & Cream Trimmings, Linen Ribbon; pearls

Gesso Dry Embossing Tutorial

Hi everyone! Today I am sharing a step-by-step tutorial on the Sizzix blog, for a fun dry embossing technique.

I am always looking for new ways to use my embossing folders and this gesso technique is easy and gives great results. I also needed more Christmas cards, so I made seven different cards, mainly using Tim Holtz dies and embossing folders. The technique will work just as well for scrapbooking, tags, art journaling etc.

 

I am sharing two bonus cards here on my blog, because I didn't want to make the Sizzix post too long. I die cut the Pine Tree die from grungeboard, inked with Black Soot and covered with Pumice Stone Distress Glitter. There is also a snowflake and tissue tape border. These backgrounds turn out so nice that the cards don't need a lot of embellishments and you can do many cards quite fast.

The second card uses the last background I am sharing in the tutorial. Again, the bell and flower were die cut from grungeboard, which was inked with Antique Linen Distress Ink and coated with the same colour Distress Glitter.

To see the full tutorial, head over to the Sizzix blog.

Thank you for stopping by!

Anna-Karin

Additional supplies (full list on the Sizzix blog):
Dies: Sizzix: Pine Tree, Christmas Bells, Tiny Tabs & Tags, Mini Pine Tree & Holly, Holiday Wreath, Holly, Beaded & Snowflake Garland
Ink: Distress Ink: Antique Linen, Black Soot, Barn Door, Victorian Velvet
Glitter: Distress Glitter: Antique Linen, Black Soot
Embellishments: Tim Holtz Idea-ology: Label Letters, Seasonal Chit Chat Stickers, Crinkle Ribbon, Red & Cream Trimmings